18 Feb 2011

FIGGE ART MUSEUM SEEKS VOLUNTEERS

By Stephen Mohr

Volunteer Opportunities Information February  24, 2011

 Davenport, Iowa - February, 2011  - The Figge Art Museum currently has volunteer opportunities available in the areas of education programs, family activity center, visitor services, community outreach and studio classes. Individuals who have an interest in community volunteerism or Quad City Art and Culture may register for the February volunteer information sessions.

The information session for prospective  volunteers will be held on Thursday, February 24, 2011, from 2pm -3:30pm.  Theses sessions will be geared specifically to adults, who are interested in volunteering and community support opportunities in  art education, public relations, administrative support, community outreach and visitor services .  The session will include an introduction of volunteer opportunities, a museum orientation and application procedures.  To register for this session, please call Museum Services Director Jennifer Brooke, 563-326-7804, ext. 2048.

Volunteering at the Figge is a great way to support your community by sharing your personal and professional experience with a non profit organization.  For more information, please visit the Figge Art Museum Web site, www.figgeartmuseum.org, or email j.brooke@figgeartmuseum.org.  

About the Figge Art Museum

The Figge Art Museum, formerly the Davenport Museum of Art, opened August 6, 2005. The award-winning building designed by architect David Chipperfield holds a collection of approximately 3,500 works that reflect artistic styles and developments from the Renaissance to contemporary art, with particular strengths in American Regionalist, Mexican Colonial, and Haitian art.  The Figge Art Museum is located on the riverfront in downtown Davenport at 225 West Second Street. Hours are from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday throughSaturday and Sundays 12-5pm  Thursdays the museum is open until 9pm. To contact the museum, please call 563.326.7804, or visit our website, www.figgeartmuseum.org.

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14 Feb 2011

Artist Sandra Principe teaches a Create-a-Painting Workshop at Maquoketa Art Experience

By Paula Neuhaus

February 11, 2011


(MAQUOKETA, IA) Maquoketa Art Experience is hosting a "Create-a-Painting" Workshop led by artist and writer Sandra Principe of Hanover, Illinois on Saturday, March 12 from 12-3 p.m. at the Maquoketa Art Experience studio located at 124 S. Main Street in Maquoketa.

Principe has created a painting event for anyone who is interested in exploring work with acrylic paints. In this class, participants will create a portrait of a cresting wave during a three-hour session led step-by-step by Principe. This class is designed for beginners or for anyone who wants to try something new. The registration fee is $35 for the three hour session. There is an optional materials fee of $15 that covers the cost of supplies if you choose not to bring your own. The registration form and materials list are available at www.maquoketa-art.org. For further information or to request a registration form contact Paula at Maquoketa Art Experience, maquoketaartexperience@hotmail.com or call 563.652.9925.

In her work Sandra Principe's oil paintings capture light and are reminiscent of the American painter, Martin Johnson Heade and are included in numerious private and corporate collections.  Her work has been shown in solo shows across the country, from West Palm Beach and Vero Beach, Florida to Laguna Beach, California. She is represented by Meghan Candler Gallery in Vero Beach, Florida; and Brio Gallery in Galena, Illinois. View Sandra's paintings at www.sandraprincipe.com


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14 Feb 2011

THURSDAYs @ THE FIGGE RETURNS

By Susan Horan

Thursdays at the Figge returns to the Figge on Thursday, February 17, 2011 with the special lecture "The World's Most Perfect Servant: The Pullman Porter Company and the African-American Experience," presented by Peter A. Hansen in conjunction with the current exhibition "Tracks: The Railroad in Photographs from the George Eastman House Collection" and Black History Month.  Mr. Hansen is the editor of the scholarly journal Railroad History and will travel from his home in Kansas City to Davenport by train for this lecture.  This lecture will be held at 7:00 PM in the Figge Auditorium.

The porters of the Pullman Company served as bellmen, concierges, housekeepers and more in the railroads' sleeping cars, yet their role in the American consciousness is even harder to define.  Were porters "the world's most perfect servants," as Pullman's advertising boasted, or a symbol of racial oppression? Icons of gracious travel or underpaid victims? More than 40 years after the Pullman Company went out of business attitudes about its frontline employees reflect our continued ambivalence.  This lecture will offer insights on the Pullman porters, their work, and their role in the modern civil rights movement.

Thursdays at the Figge on February 24th will feature a performance of Railroad Songs and Stories by Roald Tweet, professor emeritus of English at Augustana College and host of WVIK's Rock Island Lines, and musician Chris Dunn.

Thursdays at the Figge in March will feature "Artists and Writers," a series of talks by English professors from area colleges and universities on the unique relationship between literature and art.

Thursdays at the Figge programming in February also include a guided gallery tour at 6 PM and live music by Buddy Olson. The café and bar open at 5 PM for dinner and drinks and the museum is open until 9 PM. All programs are included with admission to the museum and all college students and faculty receive free admission after 5 PM every Thursday night.

Tracks and its educational programming are funded in part by the Riverboat Development Authority, Humanities Iowa and the National Endowment for the Humanities.

-end-

10 Feb 2011

FIGGE ART MUSEUM SEEKS VOLUNTEERS

By Stephen Mohr
Volunteer Opportunities:  Information February 16 and 24, 2011

(Davenport, Iowa - February, 2011) - The Figge Art Museum currently has volunteer opportunities available in the areas of education programs, family activity center, visitor services, community outreach and studio classes. Individuals who have an interest in community volunteerism or Quad City Art and Culture may register for the February volunteer information sessions.

The information and training session for prospective  volunteers will be held Wednesday, February 16, 2011, from 10am-11:30am, at the Figge Art Museum or Thursday, February 24, 2011, from 2pm -3:30pm.  Theses sessions will be geared specifically to adults, who are interested in volunteering and community support opportunities in  art education, public relations, administrative support, community outreach and visitor services .  The session will include an introduction of volunteer opportunities, a museum orientation and application procedures.  To register for this session, please call Museum Services Director Jennifer Brooke, 563-326-7804, ext. 2048.

Volunteering at the Figge is a great way to support your community by sharing your personal and professional experience with a non profit organization.  For more information, please visit the Figge Art Museum Web site, www.figgeartmuseum.org, or email j.brooke@figgeartmuseum.org.  

 

-end-

10 Feb 2011

Student Volunteer @ the Figge

By Stephen Mohr
The Figge Art Museum currently has volunteer opportunities available in the areas of education programs, family activity center, visitor services and studio classes. Students who have an interest in community volunteerism or fine arts studies may register for the February student volunteer information and training session.

The information and training session for prospective student volunteers will be held Sunday, February 20, 2011, from 2:00pm to 3:00 pm, at the Figge Art Museum.  This session will be geared specifically to students ages 14-21, who are interested in service learning, work study, or practical experience through internships in art education, public relations, administrative support or museum studies.  The session will include an introduction of volunteer and internship opportunities, a museum orientation and application procedures.  To register for this session, please call Museum Services Director Jennifer Brooke, 563-326-7804, ext. 2048

Volunteering at the Figge is a great way to get involved in your community and gain practical professional experience.  For more information, please visit the Figge Art Museum Web site, www.figgeartmuseum.org, or email j.brooke@figgeartmuseum.org.

31 Jan 2011

Free Family Day at the Figge

By Stephen Mohr

"Full Steam Ahead!" is the theme of a free family day workshop happening this Saturday, February 5th, at the Figge Art Museum from Noon until 3:00 P. M. Bring your children or grandchildren to this fun family event to celebrate the special exhibition, "Tracks: The Railroad in Photographs from the George Eastman House Collection".  Storytellers will charm participants with railroad stories and musicians will entertain with popular songs inspired by the life and work on the railway. Learn more about rail travel with the "Explore and Learn More" gallery searches and visit the studios to create art projects inspired by locomotives and the railway. The museum will also present three showings of the silent film classic "The Great Train Robbery" in the John Deere Auditorium and at 2:30 P.M. Heritage Documentaries Inc. will present the film "Rock Island Trail" with a brief introduction and slideshow on the film's 1950 premiere in the Quad Cities.

The Figge Arts Café will be open and will provide a family-friendly menu from 11:30 to 2:30 P.M. For more information and museum hours, contact the Figge at 563.326.7804 or visit www.figgeart.org

"Full Steam Ahead!" at the Figge is sponsored by John Deere.

-end-

27 Jan 2011

Iowa's largest cultural museum building move captured in real-time

By Shelby Kraus
National Czech and Slovak Museum and Library Post Webcams to Give View of Historic Move
People all over the world can watch real-time progress on website


CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (Jan. 26, 2011) - Anyone around the world will be able to watch the progress of the rebuild and move of The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library (NCSML) in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. With two webcams installed near its construction site, viewers can see a snapshot of the progress of the rebuild in real-time. The video programs will be used to illustrate the history of the museum, the relocation, and flood mitigation efforts. In addition to viewing the live action, cameras are also recording the relocation of the building for production of a time-lapse video of the move at a later time.

"Technology is amazing," said Gail Naughton, President/CEO of the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library. "We have so many friends around the globe who have supported our mission that we wanted to be able to include them in our progress and feel a part of what we are trying to accomplish."

After successfully raising $25 million, the museum and library broke ground and began construction Dec. 15, 2010.  The decision to move and expand the current facility was made last year. According to Jeremy Patterson of Patterson Structural Movers, the 1400-ton structure is thought to be the largest museum ever to be moved in the U.S. It will be moved and elevated three feet above the 2008 flood level. A 30,000 sq. ft. expansion will provide room for additional exhibition galleries, collection storage, a theatre, enlarged programming space, and a Museum Store.

A crew from Patterson Structural Movers of Washington, Iowa, has already begun welding 100 ft. beams to be used in the relocation. Once beams and jacks are in place, the building will move a quarter mile per hour to its new location across the street. The entire move will take 45 to 60 days beginning in May.

On the museum's website, www.NCSML.org, visitors will find a link to the live webcams at the upper right hand corner of the screen. There viewers can check the progress of the museum at their leisure.

Two Arecont Vision cameras have been installed. There is one that provides a south view and is located on the museum's clock tower on Sixteenth Ave. S.W. A second camera is located on a west side utility pole. Both cameras are recording one frame per second.

"The two high-definition cameras were necessary to get a close up view of the museum being moved off its current foundation. Once the building is turned, the west camera will allow for viewing the elevation and positioning on top of the parking garage," said Naughton.

Sound Concepts of Cedar Rapids installed the stationary fixed cameras that communicate to a wireless transmitter. The NCML's Kosek building at 87 Sixteenth Ave. SW, houses the wireless receiver and the NAS (network attached storage) recorder.

The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library, located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, is the leading United States institution preserving and interpreting Czech and Slovak history and culture.
27 Jan 2011

Figge & university of Iowa Celebrate New exhibitions

By Stephen Mohr

On Sunday January 30th, the Figge Art Museum and the University of Iowa will be hosting a public reception celebrating three new exhibitions at the museum - "Tracks: The Railroad in Photographs from the George Eastman House Collection"; "Crossing the Mississippi: The Quad Cities, the Railroad and Art "; and "Those Who Can: The University of Iowa School of Art & Art History Studio Faculty Exhibition." The event begins at 2:00 P.M. with a lecture by University of Iowa professor of Art History Joni Kinsey, PhD. Dr. Kinsey's lecture will survey an array of images relating to American artists' involvement with railroads and the impact of their art on tourism and travel. From the earliest "Artists Excursions" sponsored by railroads for the creation of corporate railroad art collections, artists have been an integral part of our relationship with trains, travel and tourism.  Following the lecture, at 3:00 P.M., the Figge and the University of Iowa will celebrate its continued partnership with light hors d'oeuvres and a cash bar in the lobby and café.  Representatives from the University of Iowa will offer remarks on the "Those Who Can" exhibition at 3:30 P.M. in the lobby.

The lecture and reception are free to members, University of Iowa faculty, staff and students, or with general museum admission.  For more information and museum hours, contact the Figge at 563.326.7804 or visit figgeart.org.

"Tracks" and its educational programming are funded in part by the Riverboat Development Authority, Humanities Iowa and the National Endowment for the Humanities.

-end-

25 Jan 2011

DubuqueFest Fine Arts Fair Call For Artists

By Paula Neuhaus

[DUBUQUE, IA ] DubuqueFest Fine Arts Festival is now accepting applications for the 33rd annual juried fine art fair scheduled for May 21 & 22 in Dubuque, Iowa. All interested artists and fine craft artisans are encouraged to apply. The juried fine art fair features the work of 80 artists & artisans from across the region. $1000 cash prizes are awarded to Best in Show, Second Place, & Third Place during an artist's appreciation reception on Saturday, May 21 at the Dubuque Museum of Art. Dubuque, Iowa is quickly building a reputation as an arts & culture destination in the midwest. Through successful arts programming and dedicated city partnerships the DubuqueFest Fine Arts Festival grows along with it drawing lovers of fine art and history to the oldest festival in Iowa's first city.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

  • Application deadline is April 1, 2011

  • Application fee: $110

  • Jury fee: $15

  • Two Emerging Artist Scholarships are available.

Applications are available on the DubuqueFest website: www.dubuquefest.org. To request one by mail contact Paula at 563.564.5290 or paula@dubuquefest.org.

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25 Jan 2011

DubuqueFest Fine Art Fair Announces New Art Fair Director

By Paula Neuhaus


[DUBUQUE, IA ] DubuqueFest Fine Arts Festival, scheduled for May 20-22 in downtown Dubuque announces the appointment of Paula Neuhaus as their new art fair director. Neuhaus has spent the last five years working in non-profit arts administration including program development and promotion. Neuhaus is the Director of Maquoketa Art Experience in Maquoketa, Iowa and developmental coordinator for the Eastern Iowa Cultural Alliance. She also manages two independent projects; Wordcure Spoken Word Series and Art Gumbo Micro-funding Program that provides funding to Dubuque artists and arts groups. Neuhaus served five years on the Board of Directors for Dubuque County Fine Arts Society and volunteers with the Dubuque Winter Farmers Market. She holds degrees from both Loras College and University of Iowa.

"Goals of the DubuqueFest 2011 committee," Neuhaus says, "Include enhancing the reputation of this art fair as one that offers the best in fine art and fine craft in the region and to attract serious buyers who believe in directly supporting artists & artisans who are creating original work." Neuhaus joins current DubuqueFest Festival Director, Aaron Hefel in co-management of the all arts festival including children's art activities, a two-day art fair, and three days of live music on two stages.

"Paula has served on the DubuqueFest committee since 2007," Hefel said, "She brings a lot of new ideas to the table with her experience in arts and culture development."

DubuqueFest Fine Arts Festival celebrates its 33rd year in 2011. Visit the DubuqueFest website for a full schedule of events: www.dubuquefest.org.

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